NYC Parks Celebrates Arbor Day By Planting A Tree In Sixteen Sycamores Playground And Unveiling $1 Million In Improvements

Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey joined Borough President Marty Markowitz, Council Member Stephen Levin, members of the Boerum Hill Association and Downtown Brooklyn Partnerships, and kids from Strong Place Day Care at Sixteen Sycamores Playground to cut the ribbon on $1 million in improvements, and to celebrate Arbor Day by planting a new sycamore – restoring the number of sycamores in the park to sixteen. A renovated comfort station and community room, as well as new play equipment, adult fitness equipment, spray shower, and safety surfacing were unveiled. The project was funded by $500,000 allocations from Borough President Marty Markowitz and Council Member Levin.

“New York City’s parks and trees need both care and maintenance in order to thrive,” said Commissioner Jeffrey. “Thanks to support from the Borough President and Council Member Levin, this Arbor Day we are celebrating renovated facilities and new equipment in Sixteen Sycamores Playground, and welcoming back the 16th sycamore to its namesake Park.”

Sycamores, a species native to New York City, are America's largest broadleaf tree. Capable of growing over one hundred feet in height, sycamores possess trunks up to eight feet in diameter. You can identify sycamores by their patchy white and brown bark.

Arbor Day was first celebrated on April 10, 1872 with the planting of an estimated one million trees. Within a decade, the holiday spread internationally. Each year on the last Friday in April, trees are planted in communities around the world.

NYC Parks celebrates arbors every day! In April 2007, Mayor Bloomberg announced MillionTreesNYC, a citywide, public-private program with an ambitious goal: to plant and care for one million new trees across the City's five boroughs over the next decade. Since the initiative began, more than 662,000 trees have been planted throughout the five boroughs. On Saturday, April 27th, approximately 2,000 volunteers from all five boroughs will plant an additional 20,000 trees in parks and natural areas during MillionTreesNYC’s spring planting day. At Floyd Bennett Park in Brooklyn, volunteers will plant 1,050 trees.